Anticipation
"We are filled with gratitude and relief that the Afghan family has safely entered the US. They successfully cleared immigration late in the evening yesterday. Unexpectedly, they were greeted by a brother of the wife who has been in the country one month, and they decided to go home with him last night, instead of to the temporary housing arranged by our Refugee Response ministry.
It is fortunate that this family has some options to consider, and they will meet with Lutheran Social Services in the next few days to make a final decision regarding where they will live. While our Refugee Response ministry representatives were surprised by this unexpected turn of events, we are all hopeful that we will find the very best way to serve this young family or, depending on the outcome, another refugee family.
We are grateful to the Refugee Response ministry members for all their efforts and to all the St. Columbans who contributed generously to this ministry. We remain committed to continuing to work for fair and equitable treatment of refugees around the world."
St. Columba's Refugee Response Ministry's own journey was covered in a thoughtful article published by The Washington Post entitled, "Waiting for a refugee family, in the wake of Trump’s ban."
